Rangayana was established by the Government of Karnataka in 1989 and was the dream child of the Late B. V. Karanth. Rangayana imbibed with his imagination, vision, brilliance, and dream along with the hard work of the artistes, technicians and staff today has blossomed into a beautiful place. C. Basavalingaiah, Prasanna, and Chidambara Rao Jambe who became Directors subsequently have worked very hard to build a conceptual foundation for this institution and have expanded its scope and horizon.
Just as the turn of a century invariably indicates a watershed in human activity, the turn of a decade also registers marked changes in our thinking. Thus we witnessed the establishment of Rangayana in 1989 in Mysore, a period which was a heart-beat away from the new millennium. The Founder – Director, the late B. V. Karanth was available, luckily, when the Government of Karnataka was looking for a “Man of Many Parts” whose long-standing experience and wisdom could successfully guide the destiny of the fledging repertory theatre company, the first of its kind in South India.
Rangayana has visualised in such a way that its activities were not to replicate or duplicate the preoccupations of similar theatre companies elsewhere. And hence right from the process of selection of the artistes it had to follow innovative methods in talent scouting. As a result of this meticulous method, the focus was more on the raw energetic artistes who had unbounded enthusiasm in joining the Rangayana experiment. Most of the artistes are drawn from rural areas and they represent virtually all geographical nooks and corners of Karnataka.
Consisting of 19 male artistes and 6 female artistes, in the beginning, the Rangayana was actually three things in one: a professional theatre repertory, a national-level theatre training institute and a documentation centre for the theatre arts. To give the right kind of impetus to the whole project the dedicated and experienced band of teachers was also drawn. Together they have translated the dreams of the Founder-Director into actuality.
The modern theatre in Karnataka is, by and large, predominantly reflective of the amateur ethos. But still, its semi-professional moorings have not stunted its growth and activity. It is with this steadfastness that Directors like C. Basavalingaiah, Prasanna, Chidambara Rao Jambe, B. Jayashree and Lingadevaru Halemane have wielded the baton with aplomb and dignity after the legend B. V. Karanth.
Rangayana has contributed in a very significant way to enhancing the social and cultural vitality of society. The repertory has capitalised on the preparedness of the rasikas of Mysuru who have kept the theatre-tradition alive right from the days of the Maharajas.
Rangayana has sylvan surroundings with an iconic backdrop of Kukkarahalli Lake, the University Administration Centre, Crawford Hall, the University Colleges, and the most imposing structure of Kalamandira.
